English | Español | 中文
FCG International Sports 2007: Mª DE LURDES MUTOLA
This decision was made “because of her exceptional track record in sports: 800m Olympic Champion (Sydney 2000) and bronze medal (Atlanta 1996). She has won 11 world titles, on an open air track in 1993, 2001, 2003, 2005 and on an indoor track in 1993, 1995, 1997, 2001, 2003, 2004 and 2006.
“María de Lurdes Mutola, born in Mozambique in 1972, will participate in her sixth Olympic Games in Beijing. Her social commitment is also worthy of highlighting since she is an Infancy Ambassador for the United Nations and has set up a Foundation which bears her name to promote sports and education among the youth of her country.” According to the jury that met in Valladolid on June 20, 2008, chaired by, Mrs. María del Carmen Izquierdo Vergara, President of the Spanish Association of Sports Press, and made up by the following members: Mr. José Ángel de la Casa Tofiño, President of www.futboldelacasa.com; Mr. Rafael Daniel Pérez, member of the Board of Directors of ABC Newspaper in Castilla León; Mr. Francisco Javier Hernández Revuelta, Managing Director of Promecal Valladolid; Mr. José Miguel Ortega Bariego, President of the Castilla León Sports Press Federation; Mrs. Celsa Villanueva García, Director of TVE [Spanish National Television] Regional Center in Castilla León.
Mª DE LURDES MUTOLA – Biography
Maria de Lurdes Mutola was born on 27th October 1972 in Maputo City. She is a daughter of a railway laborer and a domestic worker. The family, of a humble status, migrated from Inhambane and established residence in Chamanculo Township, in the outskirts of Maputo. Chamanculo Township was, during that time, a flooded zone- the name Chamanculo means “huge bath”. In this yet minimally inhabited suburb, Joăo Mutola, father of Maria de Lurdes and Caterina Mutola, her mother, decide to build their home out of timber and zinc sheets. Here established the Mutola family: Gina, Carlito, Joana and Maria de Lurdes Mutola, the last born from Joăo Mutola and Catarina and yet another more six elder brothers from a previous relation to this marriage.
MARIA DE LURDES MUTOLAS CHILDHOOD
Maria de Lurdes Mutola was known in the township as Lurdinha. Today, this small nickname is known in the whole world over. Lurdinha is the youngest of the ten brothers from Mutola family. When she enrolled in the mixed primary school in Chamanculo never would one imagine that this very school would one day bear her own name. Today, this establishment displays the name in honor of her: Maria de Lurdes Mutola Primary School.
In the beginning of the 70’s Chamanculo was a poor township without minimum sanitation conditions or piped water. Her father, Joăo Mutola was a railway port worker who worked his entire life to sustain his enormous family. The township conditions changed radically with the abrupt arrival of thousands of Mozambicans fleeing the war which besieged the country between 1976 and 1992. The housing conditions of Chamanculo degraded with the influx of war refugees. It is in this township that Maria de Lurdes Mutola grew up, where she made friends whom, still to this day, share moments of happiness and fraternity.
LURDES MUTOLA: SCHOOL VS SPORTS
Maria de Lurdes Mutola was born with the love of sports. There where times when she skipped school in order to train football in the neighboring townships. Her parents were angered by Maria’s altitude, as education was supposed to take precedent in her life. However, her attraction to sports continued diverting Mutola’s attention.
At various times Mutola skipped school to dedicate herself to practicing sports. Nevertheless, she maintained as compliant pupil. When it was time to perform at school, Lurdinha always did her best and managed to overcome the difficulties and always passed her classes. But her parents wanted her to exert more effort at school and decided to apply corrective measure in her life: they sent Lurdinha to Maxixe, in the Province of Inhambane province. There she was to live with her elder sister, Gina. Lurdes lived with her sister for about three years. Away from her parents and sports, the measure was intended to diminish this fondness for extra curricular-activities. This change, however, was only imaginary. She learnt to better conciliate school and sports. In Inhambane, the Province of her parents’ origin, Maria progressed in her studies and physical preparation.
After those three years, Gina moved to the North of Mozambique. Maria was forced to return home to Chamanculo. The issue of her connection with sports was yet unsolved. Worse even was the fact that in Inhambane she was one of the few girls practicing sports. She learnt to coexist with boys and the parents’ reluctance in relation to this “hobby” came to gain a new dimension. It was clear; sport was not just a simple “leisure” for this adolescent. It was a heart and soul commitment.
At that time, a female soccer tournament had just started among townships in Maputo city. They use to call a “crack” a person that played well and called attention to their skill. One of the remarkable moments of Lurdinha’s young history was when on a bright day, the Mutola family was at ease, in a sigh of relief, convinced that Maria was at school learning. On the way back from work, her father was commenting with colleagues about his daughter’s good behavior and her preference for her own education. His colleague suggests that they pass by sports ground where a UFA female championship was underway. Enthusiastic, the colleague suggested that they should hurry to arrive on time for a female soccer game where he could prove the existence of a girl who, according to reports, played better than men. The girl was fast, intelligent and, overall scored beautiful goals through incredible fakes and dribbles.
Upon arrival at the soccer pitch, Joăo Mutola almost fell on his back. The so called crack was his daughter, Maria de Lurdes. The father wasnt able, at that moment, to admire the athletic qualities of his daughter. He felt betrayed and guilty of her ingenuity for having believed that his daughter had given up sports to study.
At home, there was a discussion. Mutola understood that there was no need to use “fakes” in her relation with the parents and her preferences. She convinced her parents that the truth was the way but, for that, there was a need to support her side. Lurdes went on practicing sports with little consent from her parents. She enrolled in the male soccer, through the Aguia d’Ouro male soccer team.
During male soccer matches, popular objections where sent to officials. Everyone insisted that Lurdes Mutola should change sides. According to them, for her to embark on male football was illegal. It was then that Jose Carvelinha emerged in the life of Maria de Lurdes Mutola.
JOSÉ CRAVEIRINHA – THE POET FATHER OF LURDINHA
Jose Carvelinha, a renown Mozambican poet with international recognition met Maria de Lurdes Mutola at a male soccer match at a football ground in Mafalala – a suburb township in the city of Maputo. The poet admired her playing capacity with males, her courage and the way she ran with the ball. Jose Carvelinha approached Maria and attempted to her change type of sport. The participation of a female player of Mutola’s category could value the female sports in Mozambique.
The poet introduced the athlete to his son, an athletics coach of Desportivo de Maputo, with whom she started training athletics. After various attempts to give up, Maria decided to take athletics seriously and abscond to football. During a certain time, she divided herself between the two sporting activities: take part in unofficial soccer matches while she sought to concentrate in athletics.
Mutola’s parents finally helped in her decision to practice athletics, given the fact that it was an acceptable sporting activity. But, they maintained the imposed condition from the beginning: their daughter was supposed to pursue her education. Maria Mutola could run and play but never abandon education. And that is what happened.
In 1986 Lurdes Mutola took part in the Olympic Games in Seoul at the age of 14. Her first reaction was to succumb to the greatness of the event. But afterwards she reacted positively and gained courage to take part in other large events.
MUTOLA THE CHAMPION
Responding to the conditions imposed by Mutola’s parents, the Mozambican authorities and sports institutions launch a campaign in search for a scholarship grant for Maria de Lurdes Mutola. Options were dividing between Portugal and USA with some coming from Russia and other western countries. The decision was taken: USA is where Maria would pursue with her Olympic Solidarity scholarship grant.
Now living in USA, the link between Maria de Lurdes Mutola and her family strengthened: Mutola missed her family and friends. During holidays, and when time would allow, she used to come back home and visit her family. Her father, Joăo Mutola, according to Maria, was her ally in the battles that she encountered him always gave good advice, not only from father to a daughter, but as a friend and a tireless supporter.
Lurdes Mutola receives a piece of advice from her father, who beged her in confession to promise and vow to never change her nationality. Mutola’s father, a humble laborer had to take Maria de Lurdes Mutola’s promise and vow not to accept, before any proposal, even if it was worth millions. For him Mozambique was a humble nation which fought for freedom and he would never accept his child who, for whatever purpose, accepted to “sell” the country’s nationality.
Joăo Mutola told Maria de Lurdes Mutola that the country from which she originated is poor and could not offer such things as what other countries could offer to her, but the love and care that the country could give to Lurdinha would be worth more than any price or money in the world.
Maria de Lurdes Mutola took her father’s advice and always remembered that moment, in the same way she did to the advice of not giving up school. Soon after, when the star Mutola started brightening in the world of sports, many proposals came for Mutola to change her nationality. Lurdes Mutola never accepted, even when such were worth millions and even being in need of the promises offered in change of nationality, she never went back with the promise she gave to her father.
The saddest moment in Mutolas life was when amidst competition, she was information of her fathers death. Joăo Mutola died in a car accident.
Today, Maria de Lurdes Mutola is the happiest woman in the world, because she has managed, even being from one of the poorest country in the world, to attain what no one else from the athletics world has accomplished.